Traumatic birth experiences and maternal caregiving behaviors and attitudes in Black and White women

Purpose This longitudinal investigation examined 253 mothers (106 Black and 147 White) who gave birth from April to December 2020 to investigate the association between traumatic birth experiences (measured via self-report and clinician-report) and caregiving behaviors and attitudes and any race-related differences in these associations. Methods Subjective childbirth trauma was measured via a three-item questionnaire at 12 weeks postpartum. Medical childbirth factors were extracted from the electronic health record. Maternal caregiving behaviors and attitudes were assessed via comprehensive questionnaires (i.e., mother-infant bonding and parenting stress) and observation ratings (i.e., positive parenting and mother-infant interactions) at 12 weeks, 12 months, and 24 months postpartum. Multiple linear regressions were run to analyze these relationships. Results There were no significant associations between childbirth trauma and caregiving behaviors measured at 12 weeks, 24 months, and 12 months postpartum. Additionally, there were no interactive effects of race on the relationship between childbirth trauma and caregiving. Conclusions The present study did not detect significant associations between childbirth trauma and maternal caregiving behaviors were. This study adds to the literature by examining Black women, as they are underrepresented in this body of research and more at risk of experiencing traumatic childbirths.